Yountville History of Grape Growing

The Impact of Younvtille’s History on Grape Growing

George Yount made improvements on his land, including planting the first vineyards in Napa Valley. Dominus Estate now owns the land where these vines were planted. In 1850, Yount sold part of his land to Charles Hopper. Five years later, he hired a surveyor to lay out a town on his property.

Yount originally called his town “Sebastopol” despite the fact that a nearby town in Sonoma County had already claimed the name. In 1867, two years after Yount passed away, the town was renamed “Yountville.”

In 1870, Gottlieb Groezinger built a large winery and distillation facility in the region. The property is now known as Vintage 1870 and has a number of high-end shops and restaurants in it. In 1884, the massive Veterans’ Home was established in the western foothills of the viticultural area. It currently houses over 1,000 of our nation’s heroes and their spouses.

The town was not officially incorporated until 1965, 100 years after George Calvert Yount passed on. In recent years, Yountville has evolved into a cultural center within the Napa Valley. AVA status was granted on May 18, 1999.